All together or spaced out?

[Thyroidsucksgrr]

What is the best way to take carbimazole? All at once or spread out through the day? I’m on 3x5mg daily

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Carbimazole has a fairly short half-life.

If you take it all in one go, once a day, the levels on your body can drop far enough that your thyroid is able to increase production of thyroid hormone before you get to your next dose. Hence, twice a day is common.

However, this is most important in the early stages of treatment.

Once you have got things under control, it might be possible, even sensible, to change to once a day.

You need to be careful if you make any changes. Whatever change you make could end up requiring a dose adjustment.

[Thyroidsucksgrr]

I’ve currently been taking 2 when I get up and the other around lunch time, maybe I should have the other before bed

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Thyroidsucksgrr]

Makes reasonable sense to me.

[Valarian]

What did it say on your prescription ?

When I was on 40mg/day, it was split into two lots of 20mg, but the endo emphasised that it was more important to take the full dose than worry about splitting it.

Since I've been on a lower dose (currently 10mg/day), I've been taking it all at once. When I was on 15mg/day a couple of months back, I was given 15mg tablets, which would have made splitting the dose into three pretty difficult anyway !

[Thyroidsucksgrr]

It just says take 3 a day doesn’t specify together or not, I have already had my consultant appointment come through for end of April

[Cat4health]

Consistency is the most important thing I found. I think one in the evening and 2 in the morning sounds good. Since the immune system is highest at night if you are graves disease that's when your thyroid can get a lot of antibody stimulation. Or so I was told so I used to split morning n evening n then moved to evening only so it was working overnight when I was on the lower dose

[Fruitandnutcase]

I was on 40 a day which in my ignorance I took all at once. An endo once asked if I took them all at once and I said that I did and he said that was ok. It saved me from forgetting to take part of the dose. I used to reach out if bedwhen the alarm went off at 6.00am then by the time I was up and dressed at 7.30 I was able to take the carbimazole.

Your arrangement sounds fine as long as you always remember the night time dose.